Photographic Evidence
by Alidiabin
Summary: Set after 7x07. Eli sends Ziva a photograph of her past deeds. As a child. Ziva/Ari/Tali unity.


**Title: **Photographic Evidence**  
Fandom:** NCIS**  
Author: **Alidiabin**  
Words:** 806**  
Disclaimer: **I own nothing**  
Warnings: **children with guns **  
Spoilers:** 7x07**  
Parings:** none **  
Summary: **A childhood memory for Ziva.

_**Photographic Evidence**_

Ziva walked into the pumpkin and navy walled bullpen stifling a yawn. Sleep had been a gift her mind had not granted the night before or recently for that matter. Tony's piercing words comparing her to Kai had echoed in her head. McGee was sitting silently at his desk contemplating his fresh heartbreak. McGee was not typing. Ziva tried to think of some comforting words after the Amanda incident but it appeared the early morning had robbed her of her tactfulness. The mailman walked in with a huge smile across his fair features. He broke the awkward silence in the air of the bullpen.  
"Good morning" the young and optimistic mail man Rex cried handing Ziva a white envelope. "I think it's from your Aunt" Rex said. Ziva remembered Rex had a good memory and often picked up on the agents personal lives. She had once shared some of her Aunts less perishable culinary delights. Ziva looked at the naive mailman.  
"Pardon?" Ziva asked. She looked at the plain envelope.  
"It's got an Israeli postmark" he said as Tony walked in. Ziva looked at the envelope. It was not from her Aunt. Ziva could be certain of that as Nettie had died the previous autumn. Ziva recognized the messy scrawl that was her father's messy Latinized handwriting. The Hebrew on the back was neat. Ziva noted Eli had moved something he did each time he lost a child. She stared at the envelope. She supposed she had be naïve in the notion that Eli would not respond to her email. She had expected it however to be via email as she had taught him to use it some many years ago when they were on far better terms. Tony interrupted her musings.

"What'd good ol' Aunt Nettie send?" Tony asked. Ziva stood still. Tony moved closer towards her.  
"Nettie did not send anything" Ziva said.  
"Is one of your school friends getting married?" McGee interrupted remembering thee wedding invites she got, from people she hadn't spoken too since high school and whose weddings she never attended. Ziva frowned.  
"No" Ziva uttered. Tony looked at the envelope.  
"You goanna open it" he said standing in her personal space. Ziva flicked her finger under the paper tab opening the envelope. A photograph poked through. It was an updated version of the photo that used to sit on Ziva's glass coffee table. In this photo Ziva was fifteen and standing between Tali who was ten and Ari who was in his early twenties. Ziva held a gun on her hand. She dropped the photo.

_Eli led his three children through the high grasses of the field outside the railway track. Ziva was close behind him, she was the fittest of all his children. Ari was slightly behind, having lost some of his fitness from sitting all day studying his medical textbooks in a cold weathered country. Tali was far behind having stopped to admire a flower growing among the weeds. Eli put the Santa sack he was carrying down among the emerald grasses.  
"Children" he cried clapping his hand. The elder two of his children did not protest such a name. He set up the target and got out the gun. He laid Aris prized copy of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'.  
"What are you doing Papa?" Tali asked.  
"Ziva shoot" Eli demanded. Ziva picked up the gun. She hesitated. She turned to Ari. He nodded as Tali darted behind him. The gun shot echoed in the quiet Haifa suburbia. Tali's little hands covered her ears. Ari turned around sickened at the sight of his prized book with a bullet hole in the direct center. Ziva lay the gun down.  
"Ari" Eli demanded clicking his fingers. Eli pulled one of Tali's favorite soft toys out of the sack. Tali begun to sob. Ziva pulled Tali close. Ari raised the gun.  
"No" Tali wailed. Ziva wrapped her arms around Tali. Tali buried her face and messy curls into Ziva's singlet covered chest. Ari turned to Ziva, looking for a nod. Ziva shook her head. The shot went off. Tali let out a scream. Eli looked at his son disappointedly. The shot had missed by miles. He retrieved on of Ziva's music cassettes.  
"You must not get too attached children" Eli said as he swapped the targets. _

Ziva held the photo in her hand.  
"He made you shoot each other's stuff" McGee said.  
"Yes" Ziva said. "Tony do you have a lighter?" Ziva asked. Tony through her a Zippo he had in his desk. Ziva flicked the lighter. She admired the amber glow for a second. The hovered the photograph over it. The fire blackened the corner. The heat spread inwards. Soon the photo was nothing but a pile of ashes. She did not need evidence of her past deeds.

**A/N:** Inspired by 7x07 which recently aired in my country (I saw it before) and the photograph of Kai with her gun.


End file.
